🐝💗Our Backyard Beekeeping Journey!💗🐝

[Apis mellifera]

Bees are flying everywhere.

Nice weather today for orientation flights, some of my hives are doing the same. When you have robbing, you'll know it. Careful with robbing screens. I don't use them, research has shown you lose a lot of foragers. Randy Oliver may be doing an update on robbing screens.

 

[Sally PB]

When you have robbing, you'll know it.

Can you describe what the signs look like? Or post pictures if you have them.

 

[drstratton]

Nice weather today for orientation flights, some of my hives are doing the same. When you have robbing, you'll know it. Careful with robbing screens. I don't use them, research has shown you lose a lot of foragers. Randy Oliver may be doing an update on robbing screens.

That's the first I've heard about losing foragers. I was thinking to put them on after dark. I figured they would all be back in the hive. Is the thinking that a lot of them don't make it back before dark and then come back in the morning? If so, that makes a lot of sense.
I hope he does.
Thank you.

 

[drstratton]

Our bee club president just shared this...lol

 

[drstratton]

Our honey extraction day keeps evolving. We only had about 3 frames of mixed honey and none without the buckwheat in it. I have a feeling we will just combine it with the buckwheat. We do not like buckwheat...lol

Next year, we will pull the supers off before the buckwheat blooms and just let the bees fill their deep boxes with it. That will mean less feeding in the fall. I hope that the Bee Plant, Flax, Malva, sweet clover and other desirable plants will provide lots of nectar before that happens. Of course we still need to get that planted. Too many things going on. Some self inflicted, most not...lol

 

[5Australorpasaures]

And wear protective gear. Don't feel LUCKY

ahhh just dive right in!

 

[Apis mellifera]

Can you describe what the signs look like? Or post pictures if you have them.

I wish I could find the photo I had of an entrance during robbing, but you'll see sticky wax all over it. Bees will be entangled on the ground spinning in circles fighting. 5x5 nucs eliminated the use of robbing screens in my apiary. They're low maintenance and a constant source of brood, bees, comb, and queens. With the added plus of making comb honey if you want. You never have weak colonies as you can add brood, a queen, or whatever a weaker colony needs.
https://scientificbeekeeping.com/can-robbing-screens-reduce-mite-immigration-part-1/

 

[5Australorpasaures]

Nice weather today for orientation flights, some of my hives are doing the same. When you have robbing, you'll know it. Careful with robbing screens. I don't use them, research has shown you lose a lot of foragers. Randy Oliver may be doing an update on robbing screens.

I myself have never heard of a robbing screen.

 

[R2elk]

Ruining 4 frames at a time takes longer

I am sure you meant running but couldn't help myself.

 

[drstratton]

I wish I could find the photo I had of an entrance during robbing, but you'll see sticky wax all over it. Bees will be entangled on the ground spinning in circles fighting. 5x5 nucs eliminated the use of robbing screens in my apiary. They're low maintenance and a constant source of brood, bees, comb, and queens. With the added plus of making comb honey if you want. You never have weak colonies as you can add brood, a queen, or whatever a weaker colony needs.
https://scientificbeekeeping.

Thank you. That was very informative. But, I'm curious how the nuc's reduce the risks of robbing. Is it because they are smaller that they would be robbed first? Sorry if I missed it.